Journey to the West: I have Nine Golden Crows Inside Me
Chapter 1227 - 853 Hard Labor_2

Chapter 1227: 853 Hard Labor_2

The people nearby, seeing this scene, were so frightened that they knelt down to beg for mercy, hoping Jiang Chen would spare them.

But unfortunately, Jiang Chen showed no signs of soft-heartedness; instead, he even led the clansmen from the Ancestral Land to observe their miserable state.

This was a classic case of killing the chicken to warn the monkeys, using the miserable state of these people to deter the clansmen of the Ancestral Land.

Most of the Ancestral Land’s clansmen, upon witnessing this scene, felt a stirring of pity and showed signs of distress, but they did not dare to plead on their behalf. After all, those whom Jiang Chen was punishing belonged to the major families, which included not only those from outside but also many from within the Ancestral Land itself.

In fact, these people were their relatives, and if one were to look closely, they might even be connected to them. In such a situation, how could they possibly risk their safety to plead for these people?

If there was anyone to blame, it was themselves for becoming blinded by their interests, even daring to raise a hand against the Human King...

That was the Human King, the king among men, the trendsetter of an era, the overlord of Heaven and Earth. How could just anyone oppose him?

They couldn’t even handle the mortal emperors, yet they fancied challenging the king of the Human Path, which was sheer madness, as if they had eaten hundreds of pounds of bear hearts and leopard gall.

Among the major families of the Ancestral Land, not everyone was blind to the situation. Only a small part of the major families were involved in this incident; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many experts standing before Jiang Chen now.

Giggle, giggle... giggle...

Among the heads of the major families of the Ancestral Land, five people were behaving extremely unnaturally: some looked embarrassed, some were sweating profusely, and some trembled all over, too frightened to even tie a knot.

These five were none other than the descendants of the five Innate Dao Sovereigns who had stayed behind in the Ancestral Land.

As it turned out, among those involved in this incident, these five guardians of the Innate Dao Sovereigns were the main culprits. If one really looked into it, every single one of their direct descendants was implicated and would meet a fate far worse than those sentenced to hard labor.

Yet Jiang Chen mysteriously hadn’t touched them, which made them all the more afraid, worried that Jiang Chen would use even more cruel methods to deal with them.

The unknown was what they feared the most.

As for the behavior of these five, Jiang Chen saw it all but made no indication of it.

It was possible to give these five clans a minor punishment, but major retribution could not be enacted. The reason was simple: it would be easy to annihilate these five clans, but after doing that, their ancestors, the five Innate Dao Sovereigns, would likely fight to the death with Jiang Chen immediately.

At that time, getting them to willingly sacrifice their lives to benefit the Human Race would be difficult. The fact that they hadn’t immediately rebelled already showed some conscience.

Therefore, Jiang Chen absolutely needed to keep these five clans alive and refrain from harshly punishing them.

Their crimes had to be attributed entirely to their ancestors. Only that way would the ancestors, the five Innate Dao Sovereigns, willingly exhaust their last energies for the Human Race and contribute their lives for its cause.

Moreover, keeping these five clans alive also meant leaving a hope for those five Innate Dao Sovereigns: as long as their clans survived, there would always be people in this world who remembered them, and they might have a chance for revival and return in the future.

The most fearsome were the Innate Dao Sovereigns without hope. By leaving them a sliver of hope, it was beneficial not only to them but to himself as well.

...

"How long have you lived in the Ancestral Land?" After some thought, Jiang Chen suddenly asked the people of the Ancestral Land.

"Replying to Your Majesty, we cannot remember how long, but ever since our tribe has kept records, we have always been living within the Ancestral Land," answered the eldest and most esteemed member of the Ancestral Land, the priest in charge of the Grand Temple, the great elder of the Feng Clan, Feng Xi.

The Feng Clan was the first tribe of the Human Race and the tribe of the Human Ancestor. Both the dynasty of the Human Emperor of the Ji Clan and the imperial line of the Jiang Clan originated from this tribe. And the Heavenly Emperor Fuxi was the last leader of the Feng Clan.

After the Heavenly Emperor, the Feng lineage fragmented and broke apart into countless clans, both large and small. From then on, the Feng lineage became a part of history, with only a few elders remaining to guard the Grand Temple.

The Feng Clan was not annihilated; it merely lacked fresh blood. Apart from the great elder, there were only about a dozen elders left. For a million years, nothing had changed, which is why it exists only in history.

As the Human Race evolved, the task of conducting ceremonies at the Grand Temple eventually fell upon the elders of the Feng Clan.

In the Ancestral Land, there was no one more suitable than them. They were old enough in experience, high enough in status, and unentangled with other powers, making them the perfect candidates for the ceremonial responsibilities at the Grand Temple.

The great affairs of a nation lie in sacrifice and in warfare!

In the Human Race, venerating ancestors is as important as waging wars. Hence, those in charge of ceremonies hold extremely high positions.

The Great Elder of the Feng Clan was held in high regard, his seniority even surpassing that of the Heavenly Emperor, having watched the Heavenly Emperor rise step by step. As for his strength, it was unquestionably formidable; otherwise, he couldn’t have been the Great Elder of the first tribe of the Human Race.

Unfortunately, this elder truly minded his own business. If he had intervened more in the affairs of the Ancestral Land, it would not have declined to its current state.

"That’s really been a long time!"

After nodding, Jiang Chen suddenly said, "Elder, do you think it’s possible to relocate all the clanspeople of the Ancestral Land elsewhere?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hearts of everyone from the Ancestral Land were instantly suspended in midair. They opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but as the Great Elder of the Feng Clan had not yet spoken, how dare they speak first? To offend the Great Elder would have much more severe consequences than offending the Human King.

"The Human King is the leader of the Human Race; some matters can be decided on your own, without needing to consult us outdated old fellows."

The Great Elder of the Feng Clan lifted his eyelids without refusal or agreement.

"Oh!"

Jiang Chen nodded, already clear in his heart. Not voicing clear opposition implied his support.

With this in mind, Jiang Chen hesitated no longer and directly commanded the people of the Ancestral Land, "Within ten years, all must leave the Ancestral Land. Anyone who dares remain after ten years will be executed!"

This was an order. The people of the Ancestral Land could either carry it out or resist with their lives. Beyond that, there was no third option.

To persuade Jiang Chen to withdraw the command was downright impossible. He hadn’t even discussed with the people of the Ancestral Land before issuing the command, showing his resolute intention that the order would not be altered.

To be honest, this command was the result of Jiang Chen’s deep contemplation, having pondered it for several hundred years. It can be said that from the age of seven or eight, he had wanted to do this, but unfortunately, at that time he did not possess the power.

Only today did he finally have that power.

"Your Majesty must not do this!"

"We have lived in the Ancestral Land for generations, and now you force us to leave—by what reasoning?"

Some people were indignant, risking their lives to shout at Jiang Chen.

"Hmph, as early as the end of the Enshrinement Calamity, when the Prehistoric World shattered, you should have left the Ancestral Land. Allowing you to reside here all this time has already been a divine favor. Do not be ungrateful."

"The Ancestral Land is the Ancestral Land of the Human Race, not yours. Do not argue further. In ten years, I hope not to see you remaining here."

There was no room for negotiation in this matter; Jiang Chen had made up his mind to do it this way. How could he draw new residents without driving out the original inhabitants of the Ancestral Land?

"This..."

The people of the Ancestral Land wanted to argue back, but upon hearing Jiang Chen mention the old events of the Investiture of the Gods, they were suddenly at a loss for words.

Because when the Prehistoric World broke apart and the four big continents were established, Fire Cloud Cave had issued a command for the clans living in the Ancestral Land to move to Nanbuzhan Continent to strengthen its foundation.

At that time, many imperial and royal families of the Human Race, upon receiving this command, took the lead in moving out of the Ancestral Land, aiming to set an example.